Battle of Onale

The Battle of Onale (525 CE) was a battle fought between the invading Himyarites of Yemen and the defending army of Axum. A 720-strong Himyarite army led by Nawfal el-Srour and an 840-strong Axumite army led by Mesfin Wasie Fsiha met in battle in the deserts of Ethiopia, and the Himyarite noble infantry overwhelmed the weaker Axumite swordsmen after a bloody melee. The Himyarite victory at Onale allowed for the invading Arabs to plunder the Ethiopian countryside before returning home to the Arabian Peninsula with their spoils of war.